Downey off and running in 2012

Dear Downey Family:It has been a busy last couple of weeks here in town with several exciting events taking place. To start off, a Regional Arson Training was held in our City the week of February 6th. Our City's Fire Department, in cooperation with the L.A. Fire Department, L.A. Emergency Management Department & the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms, hosted a 4-day arson training at Downey Studios. This training was for active investigators in the southern California region and over 100 participants were in attendance. Not only was this valuable experience for our region's investigators, but the timing could not be any more appropriate due to the recent arson attacks in L.A. County. Raytheon opened its 27,000-square-foot regional technology center in Downey last week featuring the latest in public safety technology and innovation. My fellow Councilmembers and I had the opportunity to attend the grand opening and we were very much impressed! This technology center features state-of-the-art equipment that will better assist law enforcement personnel and first responders in their day-to-day operations. We look forward to building a strong partnership between Raytheon and our local Police and Fire Departments. Other recent happenings in our City were the grand openings for La Barca Restaurant on Paramount Blvd., Massage Envy Spa at Downey Landing and Chase Bank on Lakewood Blvd. We're excited to have these new additions in our City and many thanks to the Downey Chamber of Commerce for assisting in the grand opening ceremonies and giving a warm welcome to all new businesses in town. The Columbia Memorial Space Center continues to be a popular place for our youth and even more so now with the Suited for Space exhibit, which opened on February 1st. Suited for Space takes you on a journey through nearly a century of spacesuit design and development, from the earliest high-altitude pressure suits, to the iconic white suits of Apollo and Skylab. This exhibit was created by the Smithsonian Institution of Traveling Exhibition Services and will be at the Columbia Memorial Space Center through the end of April. A luncheon to benefit the Downey Unified School District's TLC (True Lasting Connections) program was held on February 16th at the Rio Hondo Event Center. Proceeds from the luncheon benefit the TLC program, which assists underserved students and their families with a variety of social services that include health insurance, food, clothing, counseling, and much more. What a great program for our Downey families! Another upcoming luncheon to benefit a great cause is the Gangs out of Downey (G.O.O.D) luncheon scheduled for April 18th. G.O.O.D. is a non-profit, volunteer organization whose mission is to help combat the negative influence of gangs in our community. The GOOD luncheon serves as a fundraiser to help support this mission by educating parents and youth in gang avoidance, providing interventions for youth at risk of gang involvement, and by funding the Police on Campus program at the local high schools. Help support this great cause! Log on to gangsoutofdowney.org for more information. On February 4th, approximately 60 volunteers from the City of Downey Emergency Preparedness Committee, Downey CERT members, Warren High School's Humanitarian Club, and the Downey Police and Fire Department Explorer Programs distributed 1,119 emergency water barrels in just over 2 hours, donated by Coca Cola. The storage of an ample supply of fresh water is one of the most important actions we as residents can take to prepare for an emergency. I am very proud of all of the great things happening here in Downey and special thanks to all of those who help make our community special. Until next time! Sincerely, Mayor Roger C. Brossmer

********** Published: February 23, 2012 - Volume 10 - Issue 45